It’s time to put the cards on the table about The Great Abortion Debate.
And I’m not mincing words here. This is not hyperbole. The topic of abortion is so great in America, we’re going to have a federal election about it.
Yes. In the 21st century, no less! Remarkable. Deplorable really.
The money being thrown at this issue is probably greater than the GDP of many countries. And if we were to redirect the tremendous time and resources being invested in this issue into education, social assistance and healthcare, we might really be able to make America great again.
What a dreadful waste.
But little is being said about this. There is little talk about the real consequences. Enough posturing. Enough epithets. Enough name-calling. Enough lies and manipulation.
If the abortion issue is really that important – which clearly it is, at least here in America – we need to hear the facts.
• Firstly, we need to understand the science-based facts of conception.
• We need to hear about the possible repercussions around policy decisions.
• We need to understand the ramifications of legislation.
• And, most importantly, we need to understand the downstream consequences.
Then, at least we can have some intelligent conversation and make informed decisions that could take us beyond an issue that, frankly, is diverting an enormous amount of time, money and resources away from the important stuff.
So what’s really in play here?
It would appear, at least on the surface, that this is an epic battle between the mother and her fetus, with the Pro-Choice group supporting mothers’ rights and the Pro-life contingent backing those of the fetus.
One is concerned about a fully functioning life in progress, with all its complications and nuances while the other’s main concern is for a potential life that has yet to take its first breath. One is concerned about addressing the day-today in real time, while the other holds only hope for the future.
But what is the real future of an unprepared or unwilling mother and an unwanted child?
Let’s face it. It’s hard enough to raise a child when all the odds are in your favor. Why force a situation that will likely not benefit either of the two parties involved, not to mention society as a whole? And why should a third party be deciding this? Who has the right to make the difficult decisions about the course of a life? And, worse yet, who has the right to impose their will on another?
Sadly, the great abortion debate comes down to how and if we should control someone else’s life in which we have no stake, no risk, no investment.
To what end?
There are no winners in forcing an unwilling or unprepared mother to take a pregnancy to term against her will. There is no ability to address the potentially compromised health of the mother or the prospective child. There is no guarantee of required obstetric care. There is no ability to make a choice that might otherwise compromise:
• a women's access to reproductive health care
• a woman’s mental health and physical well-being
• a woman’s ability to properly care for the child
• a woman’s opportunity for education and work
• a woman’s socio-economic status
• a woman’s relationship with her partner and family
• a woman’s life options going forward
What there is is:
• additional challenges for both mother and child
• additional need for assistance and support
• additional burdens on all societal systems and funds which include social, healthcare, legal, judicial, correctional and/or law enforcement impacts
• additional impacts on population size, structure and make-up
But, let’s be clear. No woman wants to be in a situation where she has to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. And while it can certainly be an agonizing decision to make, the women who choose this option often do so because they feel that the abortion pros outweigh the cons in their personal situation.
Regardless, many others, not directly involved in the decision, seem to want to weigh in on the matter.
And this, sadly, is where the whole thing goes off the rails.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way.
The simple solution: Offer the choice.
If you’re dead against it, don’t have an abortion. Let others make their own very difficult decisions that best address their own personal and private circumstance.
We don’t need the vitriol, nor the angst. And we don’t need to be spending the unconscionable amount of time and money that could truly be working for the benefit of the common good.
For a more in-depth look at the issue, please see: https://issuu.com/tyudelson/docs/